About

The history of Marcus Oldham begins with a bequest of funds from the estate of the late Marcus William Oldham. Although Oldham died in in 1939, it took until 1958 before the Union Trustee Company acting as trustees of the estate arranged a meeting with the headmasters of The Geelong College, Wesley College, Geelong Grammar School, Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College. That meeting was to develop a plan on how to provide continuing education for school leavers that were to become farmers. That group also made the recommendation of the appointment of the first Principal, Ivo Dean.

Ivo Dean was initially charged with the responsibility of establishing a location for the College. He developed a set of principles to support his ethos for the College, many of which remain today.

• Students would be required to have at least one year of practical experience since leaving school
• Students would be selected on matriculation results, age, practical experience, academic level and personal interview
• Practical experience learning opportunities would be embedded in the course
• Students would be exposed to a range of farming systems through tours, visits and case studies
• Students would have continuous assessment opportunities rather than final exams

Since the establishment of the College, additional courses have been added to the extent that Marcus Oldham is now Australia’s leading higher education institution providing specialised teaching and learning in Agriculture, Agribusiness and Equine Management from Diploma level through to Masters level.

Source: Stephens M, Daring to Differ, Marcus Oldham College, 2012